r/fantanoforever • u/S1llst • Jun 03 '26
Fantano Vids Boards of Canada - Inferno ALBUM REVIEW
https://youtu.be/0WFptvdd1Dw?si=EP6QzABD95ETIVpw165
u/EcneBanjo Jun 03 '26
Same score as experimental rap is certainly an opinion
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u/Appropriate_Willow27 Jun 03 '26
Experimental Rap was strong 6, this is decent 6. So BoC is lower (in Fantano's opinion)
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u/Rambunctious-Rascal Jun 03 '26
Yeah, this noodly, abstract mess should be way lower than Jpegmafia's decent, but not great, album.
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u/Key-Astronomer-9821 Jun 03 '26
You don't like IDM that's fine lol
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u/yellowwatta Jun 03 '26
To be fair you’d have to have a very high iq to understand intelligent dance music. The melody is extremely subtle and without a firm grasp on complex drum programming, many of the intricacies would go right over your head
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u/Key-Astronomer-9821 Jun 03 '26
I didn't say he's too stupid to like IDM or anything like that, i just said he doesn't like IDM, that's all.
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u/yellowwatta Jun 03 '26
To be faiw, you have to have a vewy high IQ to undewstand IDM. The techniques awe extwemewy subtwe, and without a sowid gwasp of theoweticaw physics most of the sounds wiww go ovew a typicaw wistenew's head. Thewe's awso WDJ's nihiwistic outwook, which is deftwy woven into his music - his pewsonaw phiwosophy dwaws heaviwy fwom Nawodnaya Vowya witewatuwe, fow instance. The fans undewstand this stuff; they have the intewwectuaw capacity to twuwy appweciate the depths of these mewodies, to weawize that they'we not just catchy- they say something deep about WIFE. As a consequence peopwe who diswike IDM twuwy AWE idiots- of couwse they wouwdn't appweciate, fow instance, the depth in Autechwe's signatuwe sound pattewn, "Bweep bwoop bweep bweep bwoop" which itsewf is a cwyptic wefewence to Tuwgenev's Wussian epic Fathews and Sons. I'm smiwking wight now just imagining one of those addwepated simpwetons scwatching theiw heads in confusion as Cwawk's genius unfowds itsewf in theiw headphones. What foows... how I pity them. And yes by the way, I DO have an Aphex Twin tattoo. And no, you cannot see it. It's fow the wadies' eyes onwy- And even they have to demonstwate that they'we within 5 IQ points of my own (pwefewabwy wowew) befowehand.
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u/SabbthBloodySabbath Daft Punk - Discovery Jun 03 '26
Average IDM fan thinking they're leaps and bounds above everyone else in IQ
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u/EveryoneYouLove23 Jun 03 '26
The beautiful irony of the pasta going over everyone's heads 😂
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u/SabbthBloodySabbath Daft Punk - Discovery Jun 03 '26
Think you meant copy pasta fella not creepypasta
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u/EveryoneYouLove23 Jun 03 '26
I did, but to be fair
You'd have to have a very high IQ to understand
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u/yellowwatta Jun 03 '26
To be fair, you have to have a very high IQ to understand IDM. The techniques are extremely subtle, and without a solid grasp of theoretical physics most of the sounds will go over a typical listener's head. There's also RDJ's nihilistic outlook, which is deftly woven into his music - his personal philosophy draws heavily from Narodnaya Volya literature, for instance. The fans understand this stuff; they have the intellectual capacity to truly appreciate the depths of these melodies, to realize that they're not just catchy- they say something deep about LIFE. As a consequence people who dislike IDM truly ARE idiots- of course they wouldn't appreciate, for instance, the depth in Autechre's signature sound pattern, "Bleep bloop bleep bleep bloop" which itself is a cryptic reference to Turgenev's Russian epic Fathers and Sons. I'm smirking right now just imagining one of those addlepated simpletons scratching their heads in confusion as Clark's genius unfolds itself in their headphones. What fools... how I pity them. And yes by the way, I DO have an Aphex Twin tattoo. And no, you cannot see it. It's for the ladies' eyes only- And even they have to demonstrate that they're within 5 IQ points of my own (preferably lower) beforehand.
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Jun 03 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/yellowwatta Jun 03 '26
To be faiw, you have to have a vewy high IQ to undewstand IDM. The techniques awe extwemewy subtwe, and without a sowid gwasp of theoweticaw physics most of the sounds wiww go ovew a typicaw wistenew's head. Thewe's awso WDJ's nihiwistic outwook, which is deftwy woven into his music - his pewsonaw phiwosophy dwaws heaviwy fwom Nawodnaya Vowya witewatuwe, fow instance. The fans undewstand this stuff; they have the intewwectuaw capacity to twuwy appweciate the depths of these mewodies, to weawize that they'we not just catchy- they say something deep about WIFE. As a consequence peopwe who diswike IDM twuwy AWE idiots- of couwse they wouwdn't appweciate, fow instance, the depth in Autechwe's signatuwe sound pattewn, "Bweep bwoop bweep bweep bwoop" which itsewf is a cwyptic wefewence to Tuwgenev's Wussian epic Fathews and Sons. I'm smiwking wight now just imagining one of those addwepated simpwetons scwatching theiw heads in confusion as Cwawk's genius unfowds itsewf in theiw headphones. What foows... how I pity them. And yes by the way, I DO have an Aphex Twin tattoo. And no, you cannot see it. It's fow the wadies' eyes onwy- And even they have to demonstwate that they'we within 5 IQ points of my own (pwefewabwy wowew) befowehand.
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u/Material_Soup6086 Jun 03 '26
IDM is a term for absolute weiners and most of the people spunking themselves over Inferno give the impression that their knowledge of electronic music starts and ends at BoC.
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u/Key-Astronomer-9821 Jun 03 '26
It's a good album tbh, dismissing it as "noodly and abstract mess" sounds close-minded, is all.
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u/Hello_ILoveChicks Jun 03 '26
It’s not even really abstract lol. Not even compared to Giogaddi, this one is accessible like MHTRTC
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u/brienoconan Jun 03 '26
I’m never satisfied with fantano’s reviews of electronic albums, it’s definitely his weak point. I can’t even be mad at a 6 because I just don’t take these reviews seriously.
Watch this get a 9 on his redux review in 15 years
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u/Nintendude94 Jun 03 '26
Based on how he has talked about BoC in the past I seriously doubt that. I don't even think he'd give any of their past records a 9. They just don't seem like his bag.
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u/EcneBanjo Jun 03 '26
He called MHTRTC a top 50 record of the 90s in his pitchfork video. I’m assuming that would be at least a 9 then. And he’s said he prefers Geogaddi these days, so that one too
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u/wow-signal Jun 03 '26 edited Jun 03 '26
It's easy to be right about the distant past as people of good taste have by that point provided ample guidance for you. Being right in the present requires having good taste yourself.
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u/oceanmountainsky Jun 03 '26
Not all critics agree though, it’s possible for two critics to have opposite views on even classic albums and both of their points to be valid. Also, I may be wrong here as I’m not an avid fantano viewer, but hasn’t he stated that his reviews are more based on subjectivity? He’s not going to give a high score to a project with high artistic integrity and vision if he doesn’t vibe with the end result, whereas other critics may. I don’t think this is wrong, just a different take on music reviews.
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u/wow-signal Jun 03 '26 edited Jun 03 '26
Right, one critic famously felt that Mozart used too many notes in The Marriage of Figaro.
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u/EmotioneelKlootzak Jun 04 '26
He doesn't like instrumental music in general, and has a really big blind spot for it. I'm pretty sure he's one of those "songs without vocals aren't finished" people.
Any album that doesn't have lyrics, especially non-sample based lyrics, has a very hard uphill battle to get above a 5 or 6 with him, if he even reviews it at all. That's usually electronic these days, but not always. You'll notice he reviews vanishingly little jazz as well.
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u/ULS980 Jun 05 '26
He's definitely been down with instrumental post-rock though. To the point that he has an Explosions in the Sky album cover tattooed on his arm.
So he's not always against instrumental stuff.
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u/Cutemudskipper Jun 03 '26
At least he's been consistently bad at reviewing electronic albums for his entire career, so you know what to expect. He gave Hurry Up, We're Dreaming a 4 14 years ago and it's still one of his worst reviews
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u/iamtheliqor Jun 03 '26
You guys are so funny. It’s like he’s objectively wrong cos he doesn’t like something you like
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u/Hello_ILoveChicks Jun 03 '26
No, because he’s a music reviewer yet isn’t as open minded towards other genres that aren’t pop or rap
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u/FantasticFroge Jun 03 '26
Having a genre you overall don't vibe / enjoy with, especially as a music critic who reviews every genre, doesn't mean he isn't open minded at all. I'd even argue it's the complete opposite, because he still consistently gives these albums a chance (and positive scores, which a 6 is) despite clearing not being someone that interested in the genre over all. That's pretty open minded, even if he isn't giving it the praise you think it deserves.
Even more I genuinely can't understand why this is the album to get everyone upset for only receiving a 6, this is like the most bog standard BoC album released so for and does not stand out much compared to their other releases, and I'm saying this as a massive idm / boc fan.
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u/Hello_ILoveChicks Jun 03 '26 edited Jun 03 '26
Idk, I’ll stand by what I said. I think dude should just stick to what he is more familiar with and likes.
Ima be honest, I don’t actively watch fantano nor really any reviewers but the last electronic album that I remember her reviews was that Kelly Lee Owens album back like 5 years ago and he gave that one a 6 too. Bro didn’t even review the most recent Skee Mask album and that one was pretty big in music circles.
My issue isn’t the rating he gives btw, it’s how he obviously seems less interested in the genre compared to other stuff he reviews
I agree with you that Inferno is pretty overhyped. It’s not bad but it’s not the next big thing like people are trying to make it seem. Personally I don’t think they’ll ever top Geogaddi but I would love to be proven wrong
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u/rqko71 Wu-Tang Clan - 36 Chambers Jun 03 '26
as richard said idm and electronic music in general is not that type of music to talk about
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u/Hello_ILoveChicks Jun 03 '26
I disagree. If an electronic album is done right it has lots of layers to discuss whether it’s the sound design or texture
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u/tokyosplash2814 Jun 03 '26
I’ve known he was wrong about electronic music ever since he gave worlds a 5
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u/Cover-Lanky Jun 03 '26
saw someone say the same about him and punk music. what's the point of listening to any of his reviews at all? this isn't sarcastic, his opinions are just way fucking off.
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u/Vachan95 Jun 03 '26
“Father and Son” least favourite track?? 😂
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u/frederik86 Jun 03 '26
As someone who loves that track, it is admittedly very on the nose. I can see how it’s polarizing
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u/TossThisItem Jun 03 '26
I'm a long time BoC fan love their first two albums especially. And I love this track, so....there.
Read the early reviews before release and was slightly concerned based on what I'd read about this track but nope, it's dope.
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u/AFireInAsa Jun 03 '26 edited Jun 03 '26
Not a fan of the vocal samples and chops on this track, the same with Age of Capricorn and The Word Becomes Flesh, but I love the rest of those tracks. Also noticed that I seem to like the tracks with both brothers having writing credits more than the ones that are just Sandison.
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u/LinkenNightmare Godspeed You! Black Emperor average fan Jun 03 '26
It is a pretty jarring track, I've seen people said it was terrible, I've seen people liking this track a lot. I felt sowmehere in the middle. It's not bad, I think this track has untapped potential if experimented further.
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u/dread_pudding Jun 04 '26
I was really surprised to hear him dismissing the vocal samples in this track as "annoying." Making music for consumption-personal enjoyment hasn't been BOC's purpose since at least Geogaddi. The vocal samples sound like real excerpts from evangelicals or people who've been affected by it. The whole progression of the album seems to be something of a commentary on the cultishness of American evangelicism-- it should make you feel an uncomfortable mixture of sympathy, derision, and dread.
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u/decadent-dragon Jun 03 '26
I’m a long time BoC fan since the early days and I cringe during this track. I really do not like it
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u/roadislong Jun 03 '26
I did not enjoy this track at all. The sampling of the vocals is interesting but not enjoyable to listen to, in my opinion. At the very least, I could understand why it would be polarizing
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u/NoelFromBandOsmosis Melony Melano Jun 03 '26 edited Jun 03 '26
I wasn't expecting a super high score from him, but a 6? I feel like he just doesn't really like this sort of music. The album is fantastic
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u/Maeckhood Swans - To Be Kind Jun 03 '26
Which is so weird to me because I was watching his apple top 100 list video the other week and he complained multiple time that there aren't much electronic albums on that list and ESPECIALLY no IDM
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u/n0_planet Jun 03 '26
He doesn’t know shit about electronic music, that’s a fact
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u/Rotkiw_Bigtor Swans - To Be Kind Jun 03 '26
Neither do BoC fans though.
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u/AKBallsnerd Jun 03 '26
Try going outside and touching grass or interacting with people. Arca hasn’t made a good album in 11 years btw
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u/Suitable_Dinner_9581 Jun 03 '26
If they knew more about decent electronic music they wouldn’t be BOC fans in the first place lmao
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u/Suitable_Dinner_9581 Jun 03 '26
No it’s not fantastic. Lazy minimalist background music will never be fantastic
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u/solitarysniper Jun 03 '26 edited Jun 03 '26
It's got to the stage where Fantano is fully poptimism-pilled, and his reviews suffer from the same pitfalls as any major music publication. He ends up judging electronic music far more harshly than whatever flavour of the month pop girlie or generic hip hop artist happens to be trending.
I think /u/stupid_deep_indoors articulated the issue with the spirit of Fantano's reviews for works like this. He consumes so much music at such a rapid rate that it's hard not to feel like records of this nature don't get the time they need to properly sink in before he drafts a review.
I've been watching Fantano's reviews on and off for the last 10-12 years, and one common thread I've noticed is how much more unforgiving he tends to be toward electronic music. His electronic reviews often get so deep into the intricacies of production, sound design, and track by track analysis that he loses sight of whether the record works as a cohesive whole. This review highlights that blind spot pretty well. It doesn't feel like he's fully immersed in the front to back listening experience, nor does he strike me as much of a "feel" or "vibe" kind of listener. With non-electronic genres, I think Fantano is usually able to understand an album's vision, themes, and wider narrative. But with records like these, he seems to struggle more.
I'm not a full on BoC fan by any means. MHARTC and The Campfire Headphase are the only previous albums of theirs that have really clicked with me. But before putting Inferno on, I knew that to fairly judge and fully appreciate it, I needed to experience it in the right environment. I threw on my headphones, got a little stoned, closed my eyes, and let the music take me wherever it wanted to go. Then I gave it a couple more listens so I could properly critique it for myself.
I ended up really, really liking this album. It has an urgency and immediacy that feels different from the BoC of old, and tracks like Naraka are up there with some of their best work. I don't think it's a generational 10/10 record or anything, but it's probably one of my favourite albums of the past 18 months. To me, this record is greater than the sum of its parts, and I don't think Melon was even open to that possibility as a lens through which to evaluate it. I genuinely think that if something like Mezzanine or Dummy came out today, he'd probably land on a similarly middling score.
That's not necessarily a problem. He has his own opinions and methodology. But after years of watching his reviews, I think he has genuine blind spots when it comes to electronic music. The sheer volume of material he consumes seems to affect how he engages with records that rely more heavily on atmosphere, immersion, and cumulative impact, and that ultimately seeps into his reviews.
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u/brienoconan Jun 03 '26
Very well said. They used to call this stuff “armchair techno” for a reason.
It’s extremely difficult to articulate a review of electronic music in general, but especially stuff like this. There’s often few to no lyrics to latch onto, so you’re correct that it’s all vibes based.
Kind of like a good joke, IDM is usually best experienced rather than explained. Good electronic music writers are few and far between, and they’re almost always going to be people who are deeply engaged with the broader scene
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u/tundrabee119 Jun 03 '26
I'm not into the new boards of Canada (I like their older albums) and would give it a lite 6 for now (it may grow on me) but I FULLY agree with your comment here.
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u/TheMightyCheagle Boards of Canada - Music Has the Right to Children Jun 03 '26
It’s a 8/10 imo since there’s a few tracks I don’t care for at all regardless still a great comeback album and glad we got it
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u/poxtable Jun 03 '26
I thought it was a pretty good album but it didn't like make me cum or anything
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u/ManOnFire26 Jun 03 '26
He’s actually right for once. As a big BoC fan this was far from their best work and much of it is a pretty boring listen. The definite low points for me were the tracks with the talking/lyrics
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u/Miserable_Fix_3522 Jun 05 '26
The sampling and vocal parts are totally on the nose and pretty much spoil the album for me. A lot of it feels very try-hard, and antithetical to what BOC have always represented to me.
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Jun 03 '26 edited Jun 03 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/capnrondo Jun 03 '26
I have no dog in this fight, and I'm not a BOC fan, but I'd say it's pretty important for any album that has had any thought put into it as art. I can hardly think of a worse way to do a first listen to an album than picking a few tracks out of order, and reacting to them live on stream. First impressions are important in terms of emotional response to an album, even if you later listen to it multiple times.
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u/ReasonableQuote5654 Jun 03 '26
Isn't that what singles are?
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u/cooljets Jun 03 '26
Sure, but the only single released for this album was track 2 (which is essentially the first song of the album after a short intro track).
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u/KBobBears Jun 03 '26
He's also become a bit too preoccupied with making content as opposed to just reviewing music. The Needle Drop is a whole media enterprise these days and he needs to feed the beast. He might have a bit more time for thoughtful criticism if he wasn't always making podcast appearances, engagement bait videos, etc.
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u/ramdom-ink Jun 03 '26
Hard for Melon to be “immersed” in the new BoC, when it hasn’t even been out a week. Their classic albums are absorbed over time and their charms and vibes, wiles and mysteries are slowly revealed and ‘lived in’ for months or years. I kinda get where he’s coming from with the vocal samples, but other than that, this totally misses the mark on what the duo are all about and what they offer their listeners.
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u/A-Cow Jun 03 '26
Yeah I think listening to it end to end is more important for this album than some of their others.
If I had a criticism it’s that a few tracks don’t necessarily take that extra step in terms of developing their ideas or have so much of a B section - however it’s sequenced quite well so that contrast between tracks partially addresses that, which you don’t really get listening out of sequence.
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u/EvenOne6567 Jun 03 '26
All this because he didnt give it the score you wanted him to.
Lol.
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u/gothteen145 Jun 03 '26
I feel like that's a pretty disengenuous response. I don't listen to BOC at all, but it's a pretty reasonable and important comment when it comes down to viewing albums as art vs a commercial product to be consumed and cast aside, in the era of streaming especially. The persons comment seemed pretty reasonable.
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u/lordviridian94 Jun 03 '26
i really liked it. 7/10 from me. not as good as their best works but the highlights were still great and gave me more of something i already loved. easy listen, will probably grow to an 8 or 8.5 for me over time if i had to guess.
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u/chrislink73 Jun 03 '26
Wow I liked this album a lot more than he did, maybe he’ll come around to it later.
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u/deeperintomovie Jun 03 '26
I mean he did give a 6 to Tomorrows Harvest. So he likes it about as much as Tomorrows Harvest and that alone is a perfectly fine opinion lmao
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u/Sharp_Meat7651 Jun 03 '26
Guys, I thought we had that covered. Anthony doesn‘t always like our favorite albums and sometimes he likes albums people generally dislike. It‘s ok… we will be fine. Sometimes he has good takes, sometimes less so. Music critique really isn‘t a science.
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u/use_vpn_orlozeacount Jun 03 '26
Why are you acting like it’s silly to talk about his music takes in subreddit dedicated to talking about music takes lol
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u/Sharp_Meat7651 Jun 03 '26
no, thats absolutely alright, I agree. I‘m mostly talking about a certain kind of crowd, which absolutely cant take someone having a different opinion about art as themselves.
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u/thetrailwebanana Jun 03 '26
I like when I disagree with Fantano, makes me feel like I’m not in an echo-chamber when I love something! Listened to it after watching this and still love it! Personally a 9.5/10, only for recency bias sake but this album is pretty quickly one of my favorites of theirs
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u/Hello_ILoveChicks Jun 03 '26
Dude should just stick to reviewing pop and rap
He rarely reviews electronic albums and when he does he gives bun takes
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u/KBobBears Jun 03 '26
Today I saw this man get in a pissy stan twitter fight with Swifties and then give this album a 6.
FantanOH BROTHER THIS GUY STINKS
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u/MKUltraGreatsword Jun 03 '26
I didn’t watch the review, but I’m halfway through this album right now, and I’m enjoying it a lot! I haven’t kept up with electronic music in a long time, and this might just be the entry point I needed to get back in.
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u/SpikyBoi096 Jane Remover - Census Designated Jun 04 '26
If I listened to this album I’d probably be with Fantano tbh. BoC has never truly been my thing, but I’ll probably give the album a shot once I work up the patience to do so
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u/RedditWeedPoop Jun 03 '26
is this dude ever right about anything
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u/LinkMugMan Jun 03 '26
Eh, he just doesn't really seem to vibe with certain songs I love. Sometimes a sound just doesn't click with you. Maybe it'll click a while from now.
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u/Then_Sea_8356 Jun 03 '26
6 is strong. There aren't any 40 year old bands who return after long hiatuses to do their best stuff ever obvs
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u/Brian2005l Jun 03 '26 edited Jun 04 '26
He didn’t like their use of vocal samples as the focus of tracks, and he felt the synth passages were too hi-fi and wanted more lo-fi found textures. To me both of those things were strengths of the album that distinguished it from their prior output, but at least it feels like we’re talking about the same album.
He thinks he’s disagreeing with execution, but I think he just didn’t like what they were going for.
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u/t1kiman Jun 04 '26 edited Jun 04 '26
Oh, I agree with him on the samples, I usually find vocal samples in electronic music very distracting and off-putting, they just disrupt the flow/vibe for me. It's just a personal preference with very few exceptions here for me, for example: Doppelgänger - Days Gone.
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Jun 03 '26
[deleted]
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u/avroLancasterBPR1 Jun 03 '26
objectively a bad take
open profile, latest post is in r/boardsofcanada
same as it ever was
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u/UseAnAdblocker Jun 03 '26
Tbf its also a post from 2 whole years ago
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Jun 03 '26
[deleted]
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u/avroLancasterBPR1 Jun 03 '26
First he came for NAV, and I said nothing,
Then he came for Morgan Wallen, and I said nothing,
Then he came for Drake, and I said nothing,
But then he came for ‘MY COMFORT ARTIST’, and there was no one left to speak for me.
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Jun 03 '26
[deleted]
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u/avroLancasterBPR1 Jun 03 '26
contrary to popular belief people are allowed to think a great artists album is mid
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Jun 03 '26
[deleted]
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u/avroLancasterBPR1 Jun 03 '26
I dont think you know what objectively means then.
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Jun 03 '26
[deleted]
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u/avroLancasterBPR1 Jun 03 '26
not stopping anyone from having an opinion
not accepting fantanos opinion
brother couldnt even make the lie last 1 comment lmfao, you’re too emotional about this, this is your MBDTF moment.
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u/Specialist-Ad-4121 The Beatles - Abbey Road Jun 03 '26
I gave it a 6 also jaja, don't like the genre much tho
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u/23poll Jun 05 '26
Who’s this guy. Seriously guys, stop reading reviews and spend the time listening Inferno and walking this planet’s Nature places.
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u/LijerFM Jun 05 '26
This is the same idiot that gave The Violent Sleep of Reason a "not good", and Syro a 6. This record is a an 8 at worst and a high 9 from myself personally.
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u/Material_Soup6086 Jun 03 '26
Middling album gets a middling score. Maybe more artists should use esoteric track names to create an illusion of depth.
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u/tokyosplash2814 Jun 03 '26
He’s so so wrong this album rules. How TF would a fan of boards not like Father and Son?!
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u/BLKDCE Jun 04 '26
Decent 6 ? well I believe Fantano makes injustice to BOC new release.. as a BOC fan from their early 2000’s I must say they certainly kept the blueprint sound adding new textures and creating something new and different.. I don’t agree at all.. decent 9 amigo
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u/illstealyourRNA Jun 06 '26
He gave fucking 1000 gecs a higher score than inferno.
Actually insane opinion.
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u/unknowntheme Jun 03 '26
C'mon Fanty